The present invention relates to a medicine packing apparatus for packing the medicine to be taken at each dosing time into respective medicine bag.
In a conventional medicine packing apparatus, a long sheet is folded in two to form a plurality of medicine bags in a longitudinal direction. Medicine to be taken at each dosing time is continuously packed into the respective medicine bag which is in turn sealed. Thus, a medicine bag belt is formed.
In the medicine packing apparatus, however, the medicine is packed into each medicine bag only in dosing order, for example, xe2x80x9cMORNING, MIDDAY, EVENING, MORNING, . . . xe2x80x9d. Therefore, in the case of winding the medicine belt by a medicine belt winding apparatus as disclosed in Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 10-101018, the wound medicine belt is suitable for distributing it but inconvenient for handling it because the wound medicine belt has to be unwound.
Moreover, the first dosing time is not limited to xe2x80x9cMORNINGxe2x80x9d. As to the dosing number, it is decided in one case on the basis of dosing days like xe2x80x9cmedicine for two daysxe2x80x9d or in the other case on the basis of dosing number like xe2x80x9cmedicine for five bagsxe2x80x9d. Thus, it has been desired to conform the medicine packing apparatus to various dosing conditions.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a medicine packing apparatus capable of freely packing the medicine on the basis of various dosing conditions.
The present invention provides, as a solution to the above-described problem with the prior art arrangements, a medicine packing apparatus for packing medicine to be taken at each dosing time into respective medicine bags in accordance with a packing order. The apparatus comprising:
means for inputting prescription data;
means for deciding packing order, i.e., whether the packing order is the dosing order or the reverse dosing order, on the basis of the prescription data;
means for preparing print data for each dosing time in accordance with the packing order decided by said means for deciding packing order;
means for setting packing data for each dosing time in accordance with the packing order decided by said means for deciding packing order;
means for printing the print data prepared by said means for preparing print data; and
means for packing the medicine in accordance with the packing data set by said means for setting packing data.
According to the present invention, when the packing order is changed to the reverse dosing order for the outpatient, the outpatient does not need to unwind the packed medicine belt, thereby enhancing convenience.
Preferably, said means for deciding packing order automatically determines the packing order on the basis of a prescription classification code in the prescription data, the prescription classification code comprising outpatient and inpatient.
Preferably, the medicine packing apparatus further comprises means for changing the packing order decided by said means for deciding packing order.
Preferably, the medicine packing apparatus further comprises a print data memory for storing the print data for each dosing time and a packing data memory for storing the packing data by assigning a column number to the packing data of each dosing time in the dosing order.
Preferably, if the packing order decided by said means for deciding packing order is the dosing order, said means for setting packing data obtains the packing data sequentially toward the next column number from the column number of dosing start time, while if the packing order decided by said means for deciding packing order is the reverse dosing order, said means for setting packing data obtains the packing data sequentially toward the previous column number from the column number of dosing finish time obtained from the dosing start time, dosing days and packing number.